Gingrich to Make Major Announcement Soon?

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune

Is Newt Gingrich going to make a major announcement? Will he announce that he’ll drop out after all? This item from the National Journal suggests something a bit unusual might be in the works — and soon:

Instead of the traditional election night party, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will hold a press conference after the Nevada Caucus on Saturday, raising new speculation about his future in the race.

An e-mail sent to reporters on Saturday morning set the Las Vegas press conference for 11 p.m. to midnight Eastern time.

Gingrich has had a rough time on the trail ahead of the Nevada caucuses, the first presidential contest in the West. Sources in or close to his campaign gave reporters incorrect information that Donald Trump would endorse Gingrich (he endorsed rival Mitt Romney). Gingrich also missed a meeting with the Silver State’s popular governor, Brian Sandoval, a Rick Perry supporter who was viewed as a possible Gingrich endorsement after Perry dropped out and endorsed the former House Speaker, according to The New York Times.

If Gingrich drops out it could be due to $$$.

And the fact he is so down in the polls in Nevada and going down in other polls dogs are starting to sniff.

On the other hand, he’s giving out conflicting signals: he’ll wipe away a tear saying that he needs voters’ prayers and go on Fox and talk about his strategy for Super Tuesday. To wit:

- Newt Gingrich appeared to wipe a tear away Friday night after singing along to a moving rendition of “God Bless America” during a prayer meeting.

“While I want your vote, I need your prayers,” the candidate told a congregation of approximately 500 people. “I hope that both Callista and I can be in your prayers because we will need them every day that we serve this country.”

Other than attending Mass in the morning and holding a media avail tonight, Gingrich – who until now had maintained a busy public schedule every voting day – has nothing else on his calendar Saturday. The candidate says he has the “hope” of finishing second in the Nevada caucuses but is mindful that Ron Paul’s organization may trump his chances.

AND:

On Fox News, Gingrich hinted at a potential path toward winning the nomination, saying he hoped to be “even with or slightly ahead” of Romney in total delegates by April 3.

“We’re working our way toward Super Tuesday,” Gingrich said to Van Susteren. “And we think we’ll do very, very well on Super Tuesday, and then in Alabama and Mississippi the following week. And then we think we will clean up in Texas on the 3rd of April.’

A bullish Newt Gingrich ratcheted up his populist attacks on Mitt Romney Friday, abandoning his “Massachusetts Moderate” rhetoric for more forceful language that coupled the former governor with the current president. Romney, Gingrich said at a morning venue which featured a mechanical bull, is “Obama lite … Obama is big food stamp, he’s little food stamp.” Criticizing Romney for his support of indexing federal minimum wage to inflation, Gingrich said such a policy would raise barriers for unemployment.

“Truth is I don’t think he understands the free market,” he said. “I think he understands a lot about finance. But finance isn’t the free market and Wall Street isn’t Main Street, and giant businesses aren’t small businesses, and what matters in America is the ability of the local business person, man or woman, to create enough jobs, to hire enough people, to start people down the road.”

Count on this: the press will attend his press conference.

But big press conferences with breathtaking expectations don’t always produce huge news. Just remember the announcement that Donald Trump was going to make a major announcement: and he announced that he was supporting Mitt Romney.

Few newspaper presses were stopped to re-do the front page over that.